#11 Talk to Me

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about who you are, where you are from, what you teach and anything else you want to include!

Appreciation:  Kim Bearden states,” Appreciation has power - power to transform perspective, power to uplift and inspire, and power to initiate change.”  How do you show appreciation to students, parents, colleagues, administrators, and/or community members? What are some ways in which these individuals have shown appreciation towards you?  Creating a culture of appreciation is not a one-time event.  How can you help create a culture of appreciation within your school and within your community? 

Drew Dudley, in his TED Talk “Everyday Leadership”, talks about his lollipop moment. Tell us about a lollipop moment you’ve experienced.

Celebration:  Kim Bearden states, “Celebration is the way that we express our delight for the opportunity to engage with someone or for our success at reaching an understanding.”   Sometimes we think celebrations have to be big, but we are reminded to celebrate the little things as well!! List at least 3 small things and the ways that you have celebrated these recently.  List at least 3 little things and ways you could start celebrating little victories with your students.

Kyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment.   How did you feel watching this video?  Would you want to give this same assignment to your students?  Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students? 

Presentation:  Kim Bearden states, “Realize that effective presentations that engage listeners have two equally important components:  what you say and how you say it.”  Think of the best presentation you’ve ever sat through…what made it so good?  Think of the worst presentation you’ve ever sat through…what made it so bad? 

In the Documentary: Amazing Shake National Competition, you see students from all over the world competing in this unique event.  What do you think about this event? If you were creating a challenge for the Gauntlet Round (Round One) what would it be?  How do you currently (or could you) teach and practice the types of skills showcased in this event? 

Temptation:  Kim Bearden states, “If you want to be in an environment where others uplift, support, and care for others, you must demonstrate those behaviors.”  What can you do to uplift others?  What can you do to support others?  What can you do to care for others?  What temptations must you avoid to make these things happen?

Celeste Headlee, in her TED talk, shows us “10 Ways To Have A Better Conversation”. Which of the 10 ways do you plan on trying to incorporate in conversations with your students?  …with parents?   …with colleagues?  

Use the 6 Principles of Written Correspondence (p. 153) to construct a response to this e-mail you’ve just received from a parent:  “I am tired of hearing about how you sit at your desk all day long and don’t help these kids with their work and now my child is sitting at our kitchen table in tears because of all this HOMEwork that has to be done by tomorrow morning! Why can’t SCHOOLwork be done at school?”

Please post your thoughts about this course below.  What did you like about it?  What didn’t you like about it?  Would you recommend this book study to a colleague?